Convenience Big Store: Astros' Carlos Correa spreads holiday cheer, optimistic about 2026

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Astros third baseman Carlos Correa and his family visit with patients at the Texas Children's Hospital in The Woodlands and their families..

Astros' Carlos Correa visits Texas Children's Hospital patients before holidays

Carlos Correa arrived at the Texas Children's Hospital in The Woodlands with his family in tow Saturday afternoon, for a visit he hoped would impact both the children he was about to meet and his own.

Correa's young sons, Kylo and Kenzo, accompanied the Houston Astros infielder and his wife Daniella as they visited about a half-dozen young patients in their rooms and delivered gifts before the holidays.

Each patient interacted with Correa. He bantered with one boy about the online game Roblox — "I have a feeling that you're really good at that game" — and his voice rose when he learned it was a young girl's birthday. Handing a signed baseball to a patient who had asked to see Correa after hearing he was in the building, Correa said: "This might be the ball you strike me out with one day."

At least once, meanwhile, Correa handed a bag of gifts to 4-year-old Kylo in the hallway and had him carry it into the room.

"It's important for me to bring my family and the kids because they've got to see that the world is not just baseball and just being at home, playing sports," Correa said. "There's a lot that's happening out there in the world that they still don't understand and I want them to understand that. We're going to be grateful for what we have, but also with what we have we're going to help everybody around us."

Correa's efforts have extended beyond the diamond with the Correa Family Foundation, which in part provides aid to pediatric cancer patients and their families, both in Houston and Minnesota during his three-plus seasons with the Twins. The Correas have hosted young patients at the ballpark and visited children's hospitals in both places as part of the foundation's goal.

"It'll never get easier when you see kids in pain and having to go through chemotherapy and everything that they have to go through, and their parents having to leave their jobs and come here," Correa said. "It takes a lot of time, a lot of effort and a lot of money, and this is where we want to be helping people."

Correa thanked hospital staff and stopped for photos as his group made its way around the floor. For an athlete who played most of the past four years in another part of the country, it all underscored Correa's enduring ties to Houston.

From a baseball standpoint, Correa will be the Astros' third baseman next season. How exactly the team around him will look is still in flux. Correa, reacquired by the Astros on a contract that will run through at least 2028, voiced optimism.

"Our owner is always making moves to make the team better, so I expect us to make some moves and just get better as a team," Correa said. "I haven't been too involved in social media and seeing what's happening out there, what the league is doing, but I have great confidence that every time we show up to spring training, we're going to show up with a winning team."

Winter meetings wrap-up

Correa hasn't missed much activity by his own team, at least. The Astros' winter meetings encapsulated a quiet offseason to date, with their established needs still outstanding.

Houston is still looking to bolster its rotation. Its additions so far on that front are Ryan Weiss, the right-hander who spent the last two seasons in the KBO and has not pitched in the majors, and Nate Pearson, who will report to camp as a starter but may end up in the bullpen. Weiss is expected to "compete for a job in the back end of the rotation," general manager Dana Brown said in Orlando, Fla.

To land more starting help, the Astros might need to trade from their major-league roster, Brown noted. Teams that could be willing to part with pitching but are still looking to compete are "not really asking much about the young prospects," Brown acknowledged. And the Astros' ability to compete with other clubs on that front, given their poorly ranked farm system, is a lingering question.

Center fielder Jake Meyers remains a logical trade chip — especially with manager Joe Espada saying he plans to give younger outfielders Zach Cole and Jacob Melton "a longer look" in spring training — while the Astros' infield surplus continues to invite the question of whether Isaac Paredes or Christian Walker could be moved.

Brown did shoot down, at least, the notion that Houston could explore trading shortstop Jeremy Peña this offseason. In theory, Peña could command a haul in return, with Correa able to play shortstop and Paredes third. But Brown said Peña's name "has not come up" in trade talks and "if you're a team that's trying to compete and go back to the postseason there's no way you can trade your starting shortstop."

It was one of few firm pieces of information offered by the Astros at the meetings. Another was Espada saying he plans to give Yordan Alvarez "most" of his playing time at designated hitter in 2026. Brown, previously, had suggested giving Paredes a significant share of DH at-bats could be one avenue to keep the current infield group intact — a scenario that Espada's plan for Alvarez would seem to contradict.

A possible counter is keeping the full group would guard against injury, a theme that scuttled Houston's season this year. But does that warrant the balance Espada and the Astros would have to strike to get a surplus of everyday players regular at-bats? Not to mention the payroll flexibility Houston — which wants to add a backup catcher as well as pitching — could expand by dealing one of its major-league infielders.

The coming weeks should bring clarity. As the winter meetings ended, Brown said the Astros were "going back and forth" in talks on both the trade and free agency fronts: "We're just trying to really squeeze this thing to figure out what's going to be best for the club. We're not trying to rush with it. We're trying to be patient and get the best we can."